1
as in to pretend
to present a false appearance of
he dissembled happiness at the news that his old girlfriend was getting married—to someone else
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2
as in to dissimulate
to take on a false or deceptive appearance
children learn to dissemble at a surprisingly early age
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Recent Examples of dissemble
Authorities were forced to dissemble the back deck in order to rescue some of the pups that were beneath, according to the Strong Island Animal Rescue League, who assisted with the efforts.
—
David Matthews, New York Daily News, 7 Aug. 2025
Building trust in companies and their leaders isn’t easy, given many decades of dissembling.
—Steve Denning, Forbes.com, 6 July 2025
You’d like your government to tell you the truth, and the government dissembled repeatedly after the raid about what the rules of engagement were.
—Aryeh Neier, The New York Review of Books, 3 Mar. 2025
Pushing back on reporters, at the time Scher often dissembled and appeared to brush aside concerns about what was clearly an increasingly out-of-control situation.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 19 July 2024
See All Example Sentences for dissemble
David Matthews, New York Daily News, 7 Aug. 2025
Building trust in companies and their leaders isn’t easy, given many decades of dissembling.
—Steve Denning, Forbes.com, 6 July 2025
You’d like your government to tell you the truth, and the government dissembled repeatedly after the raid about what the rules of engagement were.
—Aryeh Neier, The New York Review of Books, 3 Mar. 2025
Pushing back on reporters, at the time Scher often dissembled and appeared to brush aside concerns about what was clearly an increasingly out-of-control situation.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 19 July 2024
See All Example Sentences for dissemble
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dissemble
Verb
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To pretend that the Fed somehow escapes this absolute is not only false, but also a non sequitur.—
John Tamny,
Forbes.com,
31 May 2026
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Two, people might pretend to be different characters or scenarios, which can add excitement.—
Noelle Harff,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
29 May 2026
Verb
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Pack further assumed that anyone with valuable information about Guthrie’s alleged kidnapping is likely not sleeping well these days.—
Allison DeGrushe,
StyleCaster,
4 June 2026
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Because the world assumes that all people are heteronormative and cisgenger, kids can often be on the back foot when talking about their relationships and identity.—
Taylor Grothe,
Parents,
4 June 2026
Verb
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The fix is to simulate operational ecosystems, not isolated tasks, and co-design interfaces that allow robots to negotiate, adapt and interoperate seamlessly.—
Expert Panel®,
Forbes.com,
1 June 2026
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The system will simulate a chain, without using a chain.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
1 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dissemble.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dissemble. Accessed 8 Jun. 2026.
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